Closely connected to Art since its origin, the Côte d’Azur has been magnified by the paintings of the masters that chose its luminance, its art of living, its calmness, its serenity and the peace that it offered… To pay tribute to those artists, the Tourism regional comity has developed an itinerary of the different sites and places to discover.

If Renoir and Monet are the impressionists that painted the Côte d’Azur territory, Matisse discovered “the mediterranean light” since 1898 and settled in Nice in 1917. Bonnard, Chagall, Cocteau, Cross, Derain, Dufy, Léger, Picasso, Soutine lived and stayed on the Côte d’Azur and left their permanent imprint.

Places to see

About thirty lecterns represent the landscapes painted by those Masters have been placed on easels, and held original pieces at the time of their creation by Claude Monet, Raymond Peynet, Pierre- Auguste Renoir, Henri Matisse, Chaïm Soutine, Raoul Dufy, Pierre Bonnard, Marc Chagall, Jean Cocteau… Seascape, town and villages, squares and streets, gardens have impressed upon the passing of painters in Antibes Juan-les-Pins, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Grasse, Le Cannet, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Menton, Nice et Mougins.

Developing this thematic map has the purpose to offer visitors stays full of culture and to increase tourists activity on the different sites once patronised by artists who painted and lived on the Côte d’Azur. A large majority of these pieces can be seen in the different local museums; therefore, the public will be inclined to visit museums and foundations, artists workshops, living quarters or simply to go back to where those great painters had their inspiration. After the 29 lecterns placed in 2006, 31 new lecterns will be installed this year. There will be standard size (40x60 cm) enamelled panes of lava, set on a stand.

Brochures in French, English and Italian can be downloaded on www.guideriviera.com